Snow removal is an onerous task for many of the homeowners who live in the 50% of the U.S. that receives repetitive snowfall in amounts needing clearing. Options include snow shovels, which are time consuming and manually arduous; snow blowers, which clear only a 20-inch swath, are costly, and are ineffective in wet and heavy snows; or hire commercial snow removal services.
Various snowplows have been developed and marketed for attaching to vehicles such as cars and trucks. Typically, such plows are attached to the front of the vehicle, and are time-consuming to attach in that such plows: (a) are heavy and therefore require attachments to firm supports such as a vehicle""s frame, (b) include electrical components such as motors, winches, and the like for raising and lowering the snowplow blade. Accordingly, a user must also electrically connect the snowplow to the electrical system to the vehicle in order to properly operate the snowplow.
Snowplows have also been developed for being towed behind a vehicle as well. In general, these snowplows have the same drawbacks as mentioned above for the snowplows intended to be attached to the front of a vehicle. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a snowplow that relieves a user of much of the burden of attaching and detaching snowplows from a vehicle typically used for other purposes than plowing snow. Thus, it would be desirable to have a snowplow that is also relatively lightweight, does not require electrical vehicle modifications and/or electrical attachments, and that is straight forward to both attach and detach to a vehicle.
The snowplow of the current invention addresses and solves the problems of prior art devices and current choices, and a novel device is provided for easy, convenient, and time saving residential snow removal. Many other devices are too costly, heavy, difficult to attach/detach, and generally more than the average homeowner needs or wants. This is especially true of the front mounted snowplows commercially available. It is projected that there are over 83 million pickup trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles licensed in the U.S. in year 2000. Many of these vehicles are equipped with a trailer hitch and virtually all of them are capable of being equipped with a trailer hitch.
The present invention is a lightweight, cost-effective snowplow that is easily attached to and detached from a vehicle. The snowplow of the present invention attaches to the rear of a vehicle for plowing while being towed in a forward direction or, alternatively, plowing while the vehicle is being driven in a reverse direction. In one embodiment, the snowplow attaches to a vehicle""s trailer hitch. In one embodiment of the present invention, the snowplow blade is capable of being manually or mechanically raised and lowered without electromechanical means. Further, the raising and lowering of the blade are performed without undue stress on a user as the current invention provides for friction activated mechanical elevators (hereinafter, xe2x80x9cFAMEsxe2x80x9d) for pivoting the snowplow blade between a raised position in which plowing is not performed. Raising the snowplow blade when the snowplow is traveling in a non plowing direction is necessary to prevent spreading unplowed snow. Wheels may be provided which allow easy movement of the snowplow from storage to attachment to the vehicle. The lowering of the wheels and raising of the blade are accomplished is a simple, single motion, as is the raising of the wheels and the lowering of the blade.
Additionally, it is an aspect of the present invention that the blade attachment for attaching the blade to the snowplow attaches to the rear or non-plowing side of the blade. This provides an added advantage in that the snow being plowed can more straightforwardly flow to the edges of the blade rather than accumulating on any blade attachments projecting from the plowing side of the blade. Thus, the present invention allows the plowed snow to flow to the edges of the blade without interruption. Accordingly, this aspect of the invention allows for less strain to be put on the snowplow and accordingly, makes it easier for the snowplow to be towed. This attachment of the snowplow to the rear of the blade allows the blade to be towed in a forward direction, and pushed in a rearward direction by rotating the blade 180 degrees.
It is another aspect of the present invention that the snowplow blade may be attached to the snowplow in a manner that allows the blade to effectively plow snow over uneven terrain wherein one end of the snowplow blade is higher than the other end of the blade. That is, the blade is capable of adapting to ground surface undulations that can cause the blade to be at an angle to the horizontal.
It is an additional aspect of the present invention that the snowplow blade be lifted by friction activated mechanical elevators (FAMEs) when the snowplow motion is in a direction opposite to that used to plow the snow. In other words, if the snowplow is positioned so that it pulls snow behind the vehicle, the blade contacts the ground when the vehicle is moving in a forward plowing or pulling position, but when the vehicle reverses and travels in a rearward (non-plowing) direction, the elevators lift the blade off the surface mechanically so that the blade is suspended over the surface a few inches. Alternatively, if the snowplow blade is positioned so that it pushes or plows snow behind the vehicle when the vehicle is moving in a rearward (plowing) direction, the elevators lift the blade off the surface mechanically when the vehicle moves in a forward or non-plowing direction. This is accomplished without removing the elevators and reversing them. There are prior art devices that are used as jacks to elevate camping trailers, and even to elevate a snowplow. The former do not slide and the latter do not engage or slide in either direction as does the bi-directional friction activated mechanical elevators of the current invention. The novel bi-directionality of the elevators is necessary to easily operate the snowplow of the current invention in either forward or rearward directions. An alternative embodiment utilizes mechanical elevators attached to the rear of the snowplow which contain a novel shape which allow the snowplow to slide on the elevators in the raised position from side to side as well as forward and rearward.
Because the snowplow of the current invention is positioned behind the car and is rigidly attached to the car, there is significant lateral or oblique movement of the snowplow when the front wheels are turned. This is not problematic when the plow is plowing and engaged with the ground, but when the vehicle is reversed engaging the FAMEs with the ground, they must be able to slide obliquely especially when the front wheels are turned. The current invention does provide for novel shoes or skid plates and means to accommodate the lateral forces generated by the oblique or lateral movement.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a novel lateral stabilizing device to prevent the snowplow from rotating on the hitch ball in a plane horizontal to the ground, while allowing motion in a plane vertical to the ground. This lateral stabilizing device attaches to the hitch bar and not the bumper or car frame, as is the case in other prior art devices. As such, the present invention represents an improvement over prior art devices in functionality and ease of use.
In other embodiments, another aspect of the present invention is that the snowplow is capable of plowing snow in forward and rearward directions of various angles.
Collectively, it is an aspect of the present invention that the snowplow be easy to attach, simple to use, effective at removing snow, easy to detach, and relatively inexpensive. This is possible because of novel means of creating lateral stabilization of the snowplow while using a standard trailer hitch, novel friction activated mechanical elevators, and a novel snowplow which can plow in either forward or rearward direction. The ease of attachment with the trailer hitch and the lack of expensive electromechanical means to elevate the plow enable the average homeowner to easily attach and use the snowplow of the current invention with any vehicle capable of being fitted with a standard trailer hitch.
One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a snowplow apparatus adapted to be attached to a vehicle having a ball hitch assembly. A blade assembly is provided having a front face for effecting displacement of snow accumulated on the ground surface over which the blade assembly is caused to traverse, such blade assembly having a blade support assembly operatively attached to the back face of the blade assembly. At least two skid members are preferably operatively associated with a ground contacting portion of the blade. One end of an elongated drawbar is operatively associated with the ball hitch assembly and its other end is operatively associated with the blade support assembly. The blade support assembly preferably comprises a blade angulation plate rotationally associated with the drawbar, enabling the blade to be moved and fixed in a desired angular orientation.
A frictionally activated elevating mechanism, preferably having a handle associated therewith, is pivotally connected to the drawbar. The bottom end of the elevating mechanism preferably has a hardened plastic extension associated therewith for contacting the ground surface. The frictionally activated extension is movable between a vertical position wherein the blade is elevated off the ground, and a second non-vertical orientation wherein the blade contacts the ground.
A lateral stabilization device is operatively associated with one end of the drawbar. The stabilization apparatus has first and second stabilization members positioned approximately equal distance from the drawbar and substantially parallel therewith, such members positioned adjacent to the hitch assembly. The lateral stabilization device does not substantially preclude movement of the longitudinal drawbar in a vertical direction during a plowing operation and further provides for fixed angular orientation of the drawbar.
A hitch ball is operatively associated with a horizontal member which has first and second static elements configured to engage the first and second stabilization members when the ball hitch assembly is operatively associated with the hitch ball. Lateral movement (but not vertical movement) of the longitudinal drawbar is substantially precluded due to the contact between the first and second stabilization members and the first and second static elements. In a preferred embodiment, the blade can be rotated 180xc2x0 and fixed in place to facilitate plowing when the vehicle is moved in either a rearward or forward direction. A wheel assembly can be operatively associated with the elevator to facilitate transport of the snowplow when not in use. A spring connecting the blade to the blade support assembly facilitates pivotable movement of the blade when the blade contacts obstacles during a plowing operation. In other embodiments, the elevator is operatively associated with the second back face of the blade, rather than being pivotally connected directly to the drawbar.
The present invention also encompasses a method for performing a snowplowing operation, comprising providing a blade assembly having a front face for effecting displacement of snow and a second back face having a blade support assembly operatively attached thereto; providing an elongated drawbar having a first end operatively associated with a ball hitch assembly and a second end being operatively associated with the blade support assembly; providing a frictionally activated elevating mechanism pivotally connected to the back face of the blade and being movable between a vertical position wherein the blade is elevated off the ground, and a non-vertical orientation wherein the blade contacts the ground; providing a lateral stabilization device operatively associated with the first end of the drawbar which has stabilization members positioned approximately equal distance from the drawbar and substantially parallel therewith and adjacent the hitch assembly; providing a hitch ball operatively associated with hitch ball static elements configured to contact or otherwise engage the stabilization members when the ball hitch assembly is operatively associated with the hitch ball, whereby lateral movement of the longitudinal drawbar is substantially precluded due to the contact between the stabilization members and the static elements; and bringing the blade into contact with snow to be plowed and conveying the vehicle in a direction to accomplish the plowing operation.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become evident from the detailed description and accompanying drawings provided herein.